Loaded



(No Model.)

P. A. SNYDER & G. HUMAN.

RAILWAY OAR LABEL. No. 431,290. Patented Ju1 y1,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER A. SNYDER AND GILSON I-IOMAN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO EDWIN MANNERS, OF SAME PLACE.

RA! LWAY=CAR LABEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,290, dated. July 1, 1890.

Application filed February 13, 1890. Serial No. 340,856. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PETER A. SNYDER and GILSON HOMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Railway Index-Card, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has reference to improve ments in railway-car cards designed to represent whether a freight box-car, though closed, is loaded or empty. This is usually done at present by the use of an ordinary paper card which is tacked on the carwhen closed and marked Empty or Loaded, as the case may be; but this method is temporary and troublesome, requiring the use of a fresh or new card at each loading or emptying of a car.

The objects of our improvement are to provide some convenient and inexpensive means to indicate the condition of a closed freightcar which will be permanent and durable; in short, to furnish a metal car-card that may be affixed to any car and simply reversed as the empty or loaded condition of the same is desired to be shown. \Ve attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a general view of our reversible indeX-card, showing both sides of the same. Fig. 2 is another general View, where it is pre ferred to reverse the card by lifting it up and letting it down instead of turning it from'side to side, as in Fig. 1. 7

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

Our reversible indexzcard is a rectangular plate A, made of sheet-iron or other metal, painted plain or in color, with the word Empty painted orlettered on one side and the word Loaded similarly stamped on the other or reverse side, as in the respective figures. The card is fastened to the car by means of two ordinary staples s 5, one foot of each passing through the slots 0 0, near one edge of the card. These slots have sufficient play to allow the card A to turn on them and be reversed, and also to be lifted up slightly, so that the eyelet-slot d, near the opposite edge of the card, may pass over the screw or bolt head I), and dropping back of it hold the card securely from being displaced, one end of the slot being larger than the remainder or main portion, so asto pass over the head. To reverse the card, it is simply relifted over the bolt-head b and turned to the other side and there secured by a similar screw or bolt 1), as in Fig. 1, or lifted off the bolt Z) and allowed to drop down and be secured, as in Fig. 2.

l/Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway reversible index-card, the combination, with a plate A, having the slots 0 a near one edge and an eyelet-slot (1 near the opposite edge, one end of the eyelet-slot being larger than the other end, staples passed loosely through the slots 0 0, whereby the card may be swung upon the staples as upon hinges, and screw or bolt heads upon the sides opposite the staples, whereby the card may be secured with either side out by causing the larger portion or end of the eyelet-slot to pass over the head on one side or the other of the staples and causing the smaller portion of the slot to pass down behind the head, substantially as described.

2. In railway reversible index-cards, a metal plate painted white or in color with the words Empty and Loaded stamped or lettered on its respective sides, substantially as described and illustrated.

PETER A. SNYDER. GILSON HOMANK WVitnesses:

Orro OROUSE, H. R. PERKINS. 

